Was it a squabble over office artwork, or just an overblown ego that finally did in Jean-Marie Messier?

The ousted head of Vivendi Universal is crying to friends that a conspiracy led to his swift and bloody demise, according to an article in the current Vanity Fair.

Insiders told the magazine that Messier is convinced that others conspired to get rid of him, primarily Edgar Bronfman Jr., a principal stockholder.

The article says Messier often was condescending toward Bronfman, with a habit of telling him, “Oh, we have to talk about music. Can you do that in five minutes, Edgar?”

Messier also discovered the wrath of Bronfman by taking down a Rothko painting from a fifth floor office at the Seagram Building to hang in his own office, and demanded to know where he could re-hang the rest of the Bronfman family art collection. The magazine said friends of Messier believe he did himself in, adding that “his ego borders megalomania.”